Live from La Quinta Longview

I had a bit of down time in Nacogdoches yesterday morning, so I took a stroll around the historic downtown area.

The city was the site of several battles leading to the Texas Revolution and even served as the seat of government for a failed Anglo-Indian nation called Fredonia. It only lasted a couple of weeks, but the name "Fredonia" lives on as a city street and a city-owned hotel and convention center.

Today, about 30,000 people call Nacogdoches home. The city also has a sizable student population at Stephen F. Austin State University. I think one of them was my waitress at breakfast. Man, she was cute. I always get a soft spot for waitresses when I'm traveling alone in strange towns. Once I'm deprived of hometown social interaction, having a woman ask me how I'd like my eggs becomes remarkable. Is that weird or what?

After concluding my meetings around 4:30, I drove north to Longview. I ate at a Cajun place on the old U.S. Highway 80 called Dudley's. It wasn't bad at all, but I wish I'd stuck with the gumbo and not eaten so much fried fish. Right now I feel kind of sluggish and greasy.

My work here should be done sometime this afternoon. Then I'm heading back to Austin for one night before heading out to Portland on Thursday for a long weekend with my old high school buddy Noah and his lovely wife, Trish.